Antarctica (Future of The World)
Today, Antarctica is a frozen wasteland of ice and penguins. However, as the continent drifts further northeast, the ice in the northern half of the continent slowly melts away. By 45 MyF, Antarctica has drifted to what is now southern Australia. Changes in ocean currents as well as rafts of vegetation from Australia have allowed mammalian, avian and reptilian megafauna to migrate to Antarctica. As a result, Antarctica has become an evolutionary battlefield between the mammals, birds and reptiles. Meanwhile, forests have returned to the continent and southern Antarctica is now a cold taiga forest and tundra with polar coasts while the northern half is temperate and warm. By 70 MyF, Antarctica has become a diverse island continent, similar to pre-Miocene South America in its diversity. The warmer climate has led to the expansion of the northern forests, and the plains now stretch to the southern limits of the continent. The fauna is a mix of mammals, reptiles and birds, with mammals making up the majority of the biodiversity, a rarity in the Basilozoic. Forty-Five Million Years Later By this time, Antarctica has begun to move northward, and is not longer located on the South Pole. The northern reaches of the island continent have become hospitable and temperate, and species from Borealia and South America have migrated to Antarctica, adding to its biodiversity. Northern Temperate Forest As Antarctica continues to drift northeast, the glaciers on the northern half of the continent slowly melt away and now have been replaced by temperate forest and grasslands. As a result, many more land animals are able to live here. These forests are also filled with nothofagus and fruit trees. Reptiles *Out of the carnivorous reptiles that have reached Antarctica in the early Basilozoic, few have seen as much success as the crocodilians. These primitive yet efficient predators are well adapted to traversing large bodies of water, and the extinction of the cetaceans and large sharks has allowed them to spread exponentially; it was only a matter of time before some reached the formerly barren continent, where they faced little to no competition. As such, they've filled the niches of the continent's apex predators. One of these is the forest species of crusher crocodile, Gigacrocodylus horridus. This species is the second largest of the terrestrial crocodile descendants, at 4.6 meters (15 feet) long and 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) tall and weighing about half a ton. It feasts on large mammals, giant flightless birds and even young gubernators if normal prey is scarce. Unlike their sluggish ancestors, crusher crocodiles stand completely upright, allowing them to become agile, quicker carnivores. However, it is still too cold for these giant crocs to spread to the much colder southern half of the continent. *Compared to Borealia, Antarctica has a lack in Lepidosaur diversity. However, there are exceptions. One of them is the medium-sized master tree dragon, Draconem arboris. A descendant of Agamids that came to Antarctica on floating vegetation, it has evolved into an agile arboreal creature that inhabits the forest canopy. Like its ancestors, this mesopredator is omnivorous, eating fruits, insects, leaves, and small vertebrates. It also serves a role as a minor seed disperser for the spreading of fruit trees. However, they can become easy prey for crusher crocodiles when on the ground, and are also preyed on by carnivorous marsupials in the trees. Luckily, they now have sharp keratin spikes on their backs to use as a defense from large predators. *While some crocodilians went onto the land, others kept their aquatic niches. Here in the colder climate of the Antarctic forest, these aquatic crocodilians became the Antarctic freshwater crocodile, Neo''c''rocodylus antarcticum. Not to be confused with the Australian crocodile it is descended from, this species of crocodile has changed very little from its saltwater ancestor. It has a very wide diet, ranging from Antarctic false deer to master tree dragons. Unlike its ancestor, these crocodiles now hibernate during the winter due to the colder climate of the Antarctic forests. Mammals *There is hardly any animal that has seen the same diversity and success as the brown rat, which positively thrived in the predator-less continent; as such, it evolved and quickly diversified into new niches. One of these is a herbivore similar to the Patagonian mara known as the Antarctic false deer, Arouraios elafia. Despite the name this is no deer but a large rodent, measuring at 91 centimeters (3 feet) long and 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) tall. This herbivore eats fruits, grass, leaves, flowers and seeds. It's also a favoured prey item for marsupial leopards, small gubernators and forest crusher crocs. These large rodents travel in family groups of up to a dozen individuals. *Descendants of the brown rat also filled in carnivorous niches when they came to Antarctica. One of these is the northern killer rat, Carnivorattus formidabilis. These semi-arboreal, housecat-sized predators live in small packs of about ten individuals and also hunt Antarctic false deer, master tree dragons, small gubernators and even young crusher crocs if food is scarce. Northern Coastline Today, the northern coastline of Antarctica is just as cold as the southern coast is 45 MyF. However, when northern Antarctica reached the temperate zone, the glaciers that dominated the northern coast of Antarctica slowly vanished. The Postocene-Calderan extinction wiped out the pinnipeds and cetaceans that once populated the coastlines. As a result, other animals of several groups were quick to fill the niches left open. Meanwhile on the beach, small crocodilians, sea birds and other scavengers try to find anything they can scavenge, such as ocean animals that have been stranded onto the beach. Reptiles *There are several species of crusher crocs found on Antarctica. The northern Antarctic coastlines and islands have the Coastal crusher croc, Gigacrocodylus pygmaeo. These small crocodilians are no bigger than a medium-sized dog since there's not as much food as there is further inland. They scavenge anything they can find, from gubernator carcasses to stranded new mosasaurs. They also eat eggs, seabirds, fish and crustaceans. *While they are top predators in much of the world, the cold Antarctic climate makes new mosasaurs surprisingly scarce on the coastlines of the continent. One species that was able to adapt to these cold climates was the Antarctic gulfie, Aquavaranus antarcticus. This species has managed to adapt to the colder conditions of the Antarctic coasts by evolving a thick layer of skin similar to blubber which is 3 inches thick. These new mosasaurs are piscivorous, hunting smaller fish in the shallow waters near the coast. Birds *The most successful gubernators in Antarctica are easily the assurgodraconids. When many Antarctic seabirds died out in the Postocene-Calderan extinction, plenty of smaller species of gubernators filled in the ecological niches. However, one species of bird that was able to stand both the test of time and the arrival of the assurgodraconids is the kelp gull, Larus dominicanus. This species of seagull managed to survive for so long thanks to being very adaptable. Antarctic Plains While some of northern Antarctica is temperate forest, collisions of multiple islands with Antarctica have created a mountain range that created a major rain block throughout central Antarctica. Here, many of the animals evolved from Australian migrants or native Antarctic species. Birds *Despite the arrival of the assurgodraconids to Antarctica, the skuas managed to survive by growing in size. So when grasslands colonized central Antarctica, the south polar skua evolved into the Antarctic strider bird, Diaskelizon fonias. These birds have a very similar lifestyle to that of a Secretary bird; and like the secretary bird, it feeds on many small animals including rodents, lizards, amphibians, eggs and freshwater fish. They'll also scavenge carcasses of larger animals and are actually very social birds. In fact, they'll team up in groups in order to drive off larger predators, such as crusher crocs and killer rats, away from carcasses. Reptiles *Just like in the Northeastern forests of Northeastern Antarctica, the grasslands found at the heart of the continent also has its species of crusher croc, the central crusher croc (Gigacrocodylus giganteus). This is the largest species of crusher croc and is a lighter color than its forest relative in order to help blend in with the grass. These crusher crocs hunt giant flightless birds, Antarctic false deer, huge lagomorphs and other large prey items. They mainly face competition from central killer rats. Mammals *Just like the crusher crocs, killer rats also spread to central Antarctica, these evolved into the central killer rat. They haven't changed to much from their forest ancestors; except that they are now much larger now, around the size of a wolf. They also have a mich lighter, brownish-grey coat that allows them to blend in with the Antarctic grasses. They're social animals, hunting in small groups of five to eight individuals. Like central crusher crocs, central killer rats also hunt giant flightless birds, Antarctic false deer and other large prey items. Though they'll also hunt smaller mammals, reptiles, fish, eggs and amphibians if herbivorous megafauna is scarce. Seventy Million Years Later 25 MyF later, and the once cold, harsh Antarctic wastes are now lush forests and fertile grasslands, populated by organisms not found anywhere else in the world. The northward movement of the Antarctic plate, mixed with the warming climate, has led to the disappearance of the vast glaciers that once covered the landscape. The relative isolation of the Antarctic environment means that the animals evolving here are unaffected by the rising dominance of reptiles farther north, mammals retaining a remnant of their Cenozoic diversity. Northern Rainforest The temperate forests that once populated this region saw a massive increase in their range and humidity, becoming a large rainforest that stretches the length of the most northern parts of Antarctica. Here, mammals have become dominant, with a wide range of species that are conversantly similar to mammals of the Holocene. Reptiles and birds have, however, stayed quite diverse, with some retaining their earlier dominance. Mammals * The Antarctic false deer was a rodent that thrived in the temperate forests, 25 MyF later, and its descendants, the Arouraids, have taking up the niche of the smaller grazers. The rainforests are home to the smallest of the Arouraids, the Lapima, Eupodolapha hylecola. ''Only a tiny bit larger than its ancestor, the lapima has developed primitive hooves that allow it to more quickly move through the jungle. The lapima is a browser of shrubs and bushes, sustaining itself on the lowest lying plants it can find. Due to its small size, it is a common prey item for the larger mammalian, reptilian and avian predators it shares its jungle home with. * Another common herbivore of the forest floor is the '''Jungle pony', Amblyslepus arvensis. Despite its name, the jungle pony is actually a distant descendant of the European rabbit, and is thus a type of lagomorph. The lagomorphs were another successful group that migrated to Antarctica, and eventually they evolved into a new family called the Elephalepusids, or "deer rabbits". The jungle pony is the most primitive of the Elephalepusids, being no bigger than a Holocene jackrabbit, although it has already begun to develop hooves instead of paws. Like the lapima, the jungle pony is a common prey item for the rainforest's predators. * One such predator is the Tropical dog-cat, Scandensenator ingens. About the size of a ocelot, the dog-cat is actually a descendant of the Herpestes ''genus of mongoose, and thus one of the last surviving large feliforms in the world. The dog-cat and its immediate relatives would eventually become the ancestors of a new family of predators, the Scandensenatorids, exclusive to Antarctica. Despite being an arboreal predator, this carnivoran is also an efficient hunter on the ground and in the water. An ambush predator, its most common prey items are lapimas or jungle ponies, but they also feed on birds, fish and eggs. * Possibly the most common mammal in the Antarctic forests is the '''Red-eared bat', Rhodonotus minor. The Red-eared bat is a Hipposiderid, descended from ''Hipposideros ater, ''which migrated to Antarctica from the Australian peninsula as the continent moved north. Named for its large, bright red ears, this species of bat is largely similar in morphology and behavior to present-day fruit bats, feeding on the rich fruits of the tree canopy at night. The red-eared fruit bat is an important component of the forest ecosystem, as it helps spread out the seeds of plant life through its feces. Category:Antarctica